Can I get an insurance number for my non resident wife"s tax relief

Michael17

I have tried to claim the married couples allowance ( we have been legally married since 2000 ) to get tax relief on my earnings.

They have told me my wife has to have an insurance number to claim it back.

Because she is Thai they say they cannot issue her with one even though when we married and after I retired in 2009 and have had qualified for the adult defendants allowance up until the present day she is not officially recognized as a UK citizen via our marriage.

Pensions at the time in 2009 promised to issue her with one but we never received it.

I cannot understand why she does not qualify for a national insurance number.

We lived in the UK initially for three months but had to return to Thailand for her to receive health treatment as she did not qualify for NHS services.

Is there any way we can get the NHS number / claim the allowance for her that i should be entitled to / receive as I am and have been a tax payer since I was 15 and paid up national insurance deduction and continue to be taxed to this day on my pension. 

As I have paid up my dues as a British citizen I feel unjustly treated.

As OAP's know to make matters worse they are stopping the adult dependents allowances in April and because I cannot bring my wife to the UK due to a heart problems for which she is being treated in Thailand I cannot claim additional married allowance to offset the loss unless she has a national insurance number

Thank you for any advice you may be able to provide me with.

Michael

Dazed_and_C0nfused

Do you really Married Couple's Allowance (which you can claim) or Marriage Allowance (which you cannot claim)?

oldbikebloke

she lives in Thailand. She has no right to have an NI number whether married to you or not:
https://www.gov.uk/apply-national-insurance-number

How to apply

To apply for a National Insurance number you must:

• be in the UK
• have the right to work or right to study in the UK

Call the National Insurance number application line to apply.

unholyangel

The person transferring has to meet the residency requirements/be entitled to a personal allowance in order to be able to transfer 10% of it to their spouse. 

I'm not sure I see any unjust treatment - your british nationality means you're eligible to receive the reduction. It has no bearing on whether your spouse is eligible to make the transfer. There are many couples who can't benefit from the transfer because one of them fails to meet one or more of the criterion for eligibility.